Where Analogue meets digital... { Kirchoff phono V2 }
Hi Everyone ๐
I've started this thread here and was going to post some observations, but I'm heading to Kent in the morning and it's a bit late now so I'll continue my exploritory findings and post back here in due course.
But to whet your appetite, I'll just say I think I might have found the ultimate phono stage setup ๐ฑ๐
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Watch this space...more to follow, soon ๐
B4N
I've started this thread here and was going to post some observations, but I'm heading to Kent in the morning and it's a bit late now so I'll continue my exploritory findings and post back here in due course.
But to whet your appetite, I'll just say I think I might have found the ultimate phono stage setup ๐ฑ๐
๐๐
Watch this space...more to follow, soon ๐
B4N
Comments
Firstly, I had the great pleasure of finally meeting Mr Brown (Aka, Alan !).
Time was cut short by constraints, but we tried to pack in as much conversation as possible into 45mins (we were like a pair of ol women) ๐
Again, thanks for your time Alan -hopefully see you again soon !
Firstly, power up;
Kirchoff phono stage
Then;
ANK D2A convertor,
The black spinny DD thing,
Wait a bit....(20secs)
Then power to the Seca20 Power amp
(after checking the Preamp vol knob is fully 'down').
Question now is - am I going to be totally embarrassed and have to retract my statement of two nights ago ?? ๐๐ค
Ah ! Michael Hedges...'Aerial Boundaries'
Yessssss!!!! ๐
I can hear the 'Space' that occupies that moment within pauses. I've never heard that before ๐ฒ
This sound...it's just agreeing with the lifelong learned models in my brain in such an uncanny way !
And in listening, to kinda pinch myself now an again & remind myself that I am listening to vinyl - the noise floor is quieter than a church mouse! (Colin did warn me of this most unfortunate attribute) ๐
It is dead quiet !!!
This is utterly b-e-a-utiful !!!!
I've NEVER heard vinyl replay like this ๐ฎ
Folks, this is going to be a long long session ! ๐๐๐๐
Track 1, side 1...Roger Waters' vocals are dripping in a reverberation of his vocal surroundings - gorgeous!
Drum kit, leccy guitar wailing, keyboards, ticking clock, children's voices in the rear depth of image are all clearly set in space, none of which causes any effect on another instrument.
I have to say this - I've come to understand how incredibly good red book digital can convey a recording. The only thing reminding me here that this is the black stuff is the very odd muffled click now an again. It seems the signal to noise ratio is huge.
Wow, bass is commanding, stop-start with precision.
Dragging shoes on a street floor - the gentle demand of a crying cat as the pedestrian passes by (so quiet and yet delicately revealed).
Stunning, just simply stunning !
The question now is... What time do I get to bed ??? ๐ณ
Get yer filthy hands off my desert !
Wow, the violins are just wonderful - clearly, such a difficult instrument to reproduce previously (as is the case with Piano) because of the harmonics involved.
How the high hat is being tapp'd-out to time the progressing track. Not sure of the lead guitarist on this, but the sheer 'dirtyness' of elec guitar how it comes and plays over the proceedings is a testament to the choice of inserting it.
I always admired this album for it's arrangement and CHRIST - WHERE DID THAT GUN SHOT JUST COME FROM !!??? ๐๐ณ
Which reminds me, the former 'explosion' that passed a little earlier on the track - wow, how multilayered was that !!
I want to try out a few classical albums but tiredness is getting to me after my travels this week.
I should be rested by the weekend so will be able to offer up more observations on vinyl replay.
Thanks for your company on this journey thus far ๐
-Shmiff-
I am now asking myself how do I get a listen to one of these?
(believe me, it will be worth it) ๐
What I've written are my initial observations about a combination/ setup I thought might have a chance of working. I got lucky ๐คท๐ป but is was a well founded hunch that's just blown my expectations!
Let's see how I settle down with it (tonight I could do nothing as I've carried a stinking head cold in work all day).
I also just utilised the MC cart that's on my'woody' unipivot tonearm (created by a good Audio friend Richard Moss).
So what I will also do next is change the cart to either a VDH or another MC cart I have in my repertoire here.
But to get these initial results with a cart I wasn't that keen on is quite the revelation !
I'm a bit earlier coming back here (I know I said it would be the weekend) but I've had a few hrs to myself here today, so I thought "Why not?"
Since playing The Final Cut the other evening I feel compelled to return to it.
Here we go again...
On 'The Fletcher Memorial home' track;
gawd you could almost cry! Incredibly moving (shaking my head in disbelief).
(I was somewhat reticent about buying the Kef's as prior usage was a set of Apogee Stage spkrs). I made the jump to the Ref 207's as I thought a more conventional boxed speaker would be better suited & controlled in my reletively small room here.
I've never had such a panoply of sound laid out in front of me. Yeah sure, we'd enjoy the melody of the music, you know...the 1812 overture, Max Bruch Violin concerto, Saint Saens etc etc,.. but it was never this level of insight and sheer purity! ๐ฑ
I'm already thinking of little various tweeks I know I can make to this setup to try out. But one thing's for sure - I'm documenting what I have here & certainly don't want to lose what I've found !!!
-Shmifferz-
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It would seem I have a new reference... Colin's analogue Troofs ! ๐คญ
The bar is now set for a new level in DAC performance ๐
Yesterday was my son Scott 40th birthday, a the same date 31st 13 odd year ago I had that ticking valve fitted and I hate clocks.
Then I recall a DAC I did at 18yrs old to put video on a audio cassette. It worked Dr Who in Black and White. Found old notes I think it could and should work as a Supper DAC only 64bits at 10MHz max.
Work will start son as my hand stop shaking after Andy's superb music write up.
Maybe he should write for HiFi News .
Tesla would be proud.
What a superbly recorded album
I think I could play this ten times over...๐
(P.s - this might be an original pressing)
Did you get a Kirchoff PCB?
No PCB.?
I've had it all against me here what with going down this weekend with this blasted virus - chest and throat affected mainly, the 'ol ears are not too much on 'edge' but that again is a testament I think as to how this Kirchoff phono board delivers the signal in such a grain-free way ๐
It's been the revelation, playing lots of Floyd.
Just now listening to 'The Division Bell'.
Gawd, now on 'Keep Talking', I just picked out Gilmore's lips refreshing in between lines at one point (how tha hell does that get picked up in a recording ???!!!??) ๐ฎ
I've always thought that it's not the best recorded album, so takes a lot to dig out the nuances of each track.
But the more detail you hear, the more it is utterly enjoyable.
It does contain depth of field, but it's soo much more nuanced to bring out.
I've not changed the Lyra Delos out just yet (when your nose is running like Niagra falls, I guess changing over MC carts isn't the best thing to be juggling is it?! ๐).
Ahhh the swallow in the air, the honey bee buzzing around, and then the chiming Division bell ringing out across the landscape. All shown in a greater illusion of that concocted magical audiophoolery.
Side2 has come to an end all too soon (it's true, times does fly when you're having a great time) so I'm playing it again ๐๐
Playing Dire Straits :
Communiquรฉ
Side A ; This is utterly by far the best I have ever heard these tracks reproduced. The recording technique employed on this sounds rather up-close and super raw 'n dirty. To hear that drum kit come through so raw is just bliss!!
Side B: I've never really ventured into these parts but the way this phonostage is sounding I proceeded to flip the disk over and venture on, curious as to what would be revealed.
I think I've just found another fave DS side on the black pancake stuff !! ๐
I do believe I'm about the 7th time into playing the final three tracks on side B.
Wow, where have you been ?!? ๐๐๐
There's a really gorgeous enveloping rounded bass quality to these recordings!
But as you weave your way from Portobello Belle to Single Handed Sailor you arrive at the finalรฉ track 'Follow me home' ๐คค
You'll probably know that it begins with a fade-in sound of the sea shore.
There's the gentle clanking of bells(?) sorta like the type they put on Swiss cows? (hmmm, I'll get back to you on that one ๐ค).
Knopfler's guitar comes in with a looped part and he relaxingly sings so lightly as not to come to the fore too much.
A lovely underpinning bass line accompanies the setting which really completes the chilled out picture (could be on some Jamaican beach, who knows?).
Crickets are heard in the backround and all this goes to cause any stress to just drain an exit your being - it's That Good !
If you use vinyl in your system you really owe it to yourself to give it a try.
If you hadn't already guessed - I'm a convert ! โบ๏ธ
Thank you Colin for such a brilliantly executed design ๐๐
-Shmiffy-
I am very reluctant to give yet another idea to have somebody claim it's there new design for the non creative.
What is your views????
You've been ripped orff enough times now Col ๐'em !
The S-Phasic Phono processor (formerly known as Colin's Kirchoff board) continues to give up more unheard of detail from the black flat stuff... the mind boggles๐ตโ๐ซ
As good as the Technics SL-150 mk2 Rosewood direct drive motor unit is, I've tonight taken a deep breath and ventured to dismantle the original TT setup and test another idea I've been quietly mulling over.
I acquired a Pioneer PL-70 drive motor a few months back and apart from servicing the bearing assembly (it desperately needed some fresh oil/grease before it saw any further use) it has sat in the corner waiting further inspiration.
Such inspiration finally arrived this last week in the form of the ominous platter that once formed the topping-off ceremony of a former Yamaha GT2000 turntable. Quite the Gigantic & Tremendous affair it was, now being employed in a similar fashion but would aid in actually improving the already respectable W&F figures achieved by the original in-house Pioneer designers!
(I have already made measurements with another platter add-on previously). This platter has greater rotational stability due to its 15 inch diameter ! I'll take more measurements in due course...
There is no 'body' to this setup like a normal turntable design, visualise the layout of a Micro Seki turntable no armboard involved, no surface area support around the platter, this is pure skeletal form.
I was tempted whilst making the changes to try out another tonearm setup, but I felt intrigued and wanted to see how the woody tonearm plus Lyra Delos would fare within this context compared to the latter. Not a good idea changing too many variables either when one is trying to follow where improvements are being gained.
I tell you what though, just touching the outer rim of this thing must be akin to the 'feel' of one of those Neumann vinyl cutting lathe platters !! ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฎ
to be continued...
That's a 1st for me ! ๐ฎ
The air and delicacy around the instruments is quite breathtaking ๐คฏ